He listened to the storm rage restlessly outside, the rain beating down in unsteady patterns that seemed to echo the turmoil bubbling inside him. The clash of lightning and the crash of thunder were welcomed tonight, companions to the small snaps and hiss of the fire that cast flickering shadows across the room. Her skin looked like dappled gold in the fire light, the warm glow sliding across her satin skin like a caress. His hand itched to slide across her flesh as well, to make her moan his name in pleasure but he merely clenched it into a fist. God why did everything always have to be so difficult! Frustration and a sense of injustice coursed through him as he continued to watch her sleep, sheets tangled around her shapely legs. Standing up he winced slightly as his muscles protested the movement after so sitting so long in his chair next to Usage’s bed. Things had been so simple, he wanted her and he had taken her and now he found out all this shit that would sound like a huge pack of lies if he didn’t have the memories to prove it. With a curse he slammed his fist into the elegantly painted wall, leaving a fist sized hole near the mantle. Usagi never stirred. Girl sleeps like the dead he thought absently.

His anger wouldn’t abate and he had to be honest that he really didn’t want it to. Anger allowed him to keep the other emotions at bay, the confusion and the sense of desperation that seemed to be fighting him with every step, seeking his weakness out, trying to control him. It was an unpleasant sensation, made more so by the simple fact that he didn’t know why he felt desperate or wronged he only knew that he did, he felt it with a conviction that terrified him. God damn it all! So he had to deal with past lives now too? She was a princess and he, Lord, he was a prince, of Earth no less. It really was a laughable situation and if it weren’t all happening to him he would have given the pitiful wretch in his place his sympathy but it WAS him and that changed everything.

He stood now at the end of her bed. Her hair spilled around her head like a halo, her red lips parted slightly and her arm thrown up over her head. She was, in short, the very picture of temptation and oh how he wanted to taste this particular temptation. She’d invaded his dreams, dreams that reeked of memories, of half realized events and churning emotions that had rushed through his body without restraint. Images had flashed through his mind, small glimpses of her in a garden with the sunlight streaming around her, her beneath a sky filled with so many stars they seemed to sprinkled their by God on the black velvet of night. It was her, always her who was there just around every corner, around every bend and he’d known and rejoiced at the knowledge.

He remembered far more than she did, he’d realized that soon enough after he’d learned that she’d been taken too. How Mariner had spoken to both of them in that space between moments he didn’t know and he was fairly certain he was never likely to either. He’d questioned her in a less than subtle manner, revealing little of what Mariner had told him until he realized that her information was vague at best. She knew he was her prince but only the barest outlines of what had happened, the general story of their love affair but to her it was some tale, something out of a dream, while to him it was becoming astonishingly real. He was beginning to crave her touch, the feel of her hair and even her scent. It was infuriating and it had only been a little under twelve hours since their encounter with that enigmatic man who had so easily rearranged their lives.

He turned his attention back to Usagi and once again marveled that this slight, almost fragile looking woman could have been the that famed heroine of Tokyo all those years ago. He fought in many battles next to this woman who didn’t look like she could throw a punch to save her life. He’d been her protector in two lifetimes now and he couldn’t help but wonder if history was doomed to repeat itself. His hands fisted at his side at the thought. No, he wouldn’t let things end the same, she was his now and she would stay his, duty and honor be damned. There were no courts or kingdoms to considered now, it was just them. Their passion, their pleasure. Yes this time it was just them.

He was so caught up in his vows for justice that he never saw Usagi’s lids flutter open or her startled blue eyes take in his defensive stance or the sharp gleam of determination in his eyes. No it wasn’t until he heard her small gasp that he truly saw her and by then it was too late. She was kneeling in a pool of white sheets that flowed around her body, hiding breast and limb from his view in a tantalizing display that sparked desires that always seemed to simmer just beneath the surface when she was near. Her hair was tousled as it too flowed around her, pooled into a puddle of molten gold around her, and as Mamoru drank in the sight of her greedily he felt a strange sense of déjà vu over take him. And then he was no longer in a plush room with a storm raging just beyond the window and the firelight slithering across every surface; no, he was locked away in a bittersweet memory of what he quickly realized was their final meeting as prince and princess. Every detail was there, every sensation so vivid it was nearly real and so he was sucked into this mockery of memory, forced to play a part in a scene he didn’t think he could endure again.

* * *

The bath chamber was exquisite, just as everything in the Lunar palace was, impeccible and pristine in a way that all too often inspired a naive awe in many. Endymion had hardened himself long ago to the beauties offered by the Lunar people and most especially their palace but there was still one thing, one bit of beauty he had never been able to steel himself against, Serenity. She was his one weakness. Strange how she made him feel so invincible when she was with him, but now she sought to leave him forever to appease her sense of duty, he thought with disdain. He ignored the small voice inside him that said he knew from the start there could never be anything lasting between them, that anything beyond a fleeting affair would mean war. He’d accepted those conditions but now when the thought of never seeing her again was racing through his blood he realized he didn’t care! Serenity was HIS damn it and he wasn’t giving her up to some faceless prince from some far-off planet and he sure as hell wasn’t giving her up for her misplaced sense of duty.

Which explained why he was crouched behind one of the many palm plants scattered around the royal bathing chamber of the Lunar palace. The air was humid as tendrils of steam curled around him, rising to the high domed ceiling with its breathtaking frescos of myth and legend. The chamber was large with pink tiles covering the floor to create a soft blush throughout the room. The brightly colored mosaic of the sunken pool in the middle of this ocean of pink stood out in stark contrast with its blues and reds as it portrayed Neptune and his water sprites. Indeed the large pool was fed by a large fountain of Neptune reared upon a wave, his triton raised in defiance as heated water poured from his other outstretched hand. A scattering of white marble statues completed the opulent feel of the room and Endymion admitted grudgingly that all in all it was perfect, like the beautiful nymph who had just entered the chamber.

She walked through one of the many clouds of steam and Endymion felt his breath stop as his heart began to thump painfully in his chest. She was like some goddess come to earth to torment him. Her silvery hair flowed around her to spill around her feet as she slowly stepped to the edge of the massive pool. With languid movements she slipped off the silken robe of royal blue and let it fall carelessly to her feet. His body responded as it always did at the sight of her, instantly and ruthlessly. Every fiber of his body was saturated with desire, every impulse demanding he take her then and there but he gritted his teeth and waited. She must not know he was there until it was to late and she was in his arms.

He watched her wade gradually into the steaming waters, watched her body slowly covered inch by agonizing inch by the heated water until finally it lapped at the undersides of her breasts and he knew it was time. Quietly he disrobed, his lose pants and lawn shirt causing no problems though being stealthy while trying to remove knee-length boots was something completely different. With a muffled groan he finally managed to get the damn things off and stalk quietly towards the water’s edge. Any other person would have heard him by now but his Serenity was a dreamer who always had her head in the clouds. He had heard of the countless lectures she’d received at the hands of some very disgruntled senshi but he really couldn’t fault her for it because that was one of the things that made Serenity Serenity.

And so soundlessly he slipped into the welcoming warmth of the water and made his way towards her. Small waves rippled across the water from his movements but his Serenity never looked down to notice them, no her head thrown back, her eyes closed in bliss as her lips parted on a sigh on contentment. Desire raged through him so fiercely at that moment that he knew that if he didn’t touch her, didn’t press his lips to her skin and feel her against him he would go insane.

With a determined set to his jaw he slowly moved towards her with the one goal of touching her, of claiming her so completely no one could take her away from him but it was her musical voice floating on the humid air that stopped him dead.

“Endymion, you know we can’t do this.” Her head dropped then and a dejected sigh drifted to him until she snapped her head back up and squared her shoulders, a aura of determination surrounding her. “This HAS to end.”

She turned then, her hair floating around her like spun silver to find a bewildered look gracing his masculine features.

“You knew I was here?!” His surprise made her smile inspite of herself. He looked so scandalized that he, the high and mighty prince Endymion of earth, had been caught.

“Yes, I knew.” Her voice caressed his tired soul and he closed his eyes then to savor the feel of it washing him. Slowly he opened them and stared at her, his eyes tracing over every delicate line of her face, over the silky hair that cascaded down her shoulders in a waterfall of silver and felt his anger rise at the thought of another touching her. Clenching his hands into tight fists at his side Endymion continued to stare at her, anger snapping in his eyes.

“Why?” The single word held so much anguish, so much rage and pain that Serenity felt tears swell to the surface. She knew what he was asking, why did it have to end? Why was she running from him? Why had she let him in here if she wanted it to be done with? So many questions that all ripped like daggers through her soul and so she answered the last and least painful of the series.

“I knew you were here from the moment I walked in. I’ve learned what you feel like, your energy...” She trailed off then as she remembered their secluded nights together, the feel of him against her, of their souls fusing along with their bodies. She would know him anywhere, always knew where he was and she suspected it was much the same with him. Their’s was something rare and special, something one might not find in a thousand lifetimes but it was not something that she would trade her people’s lives for; no, she was their future ruler, their future queen and they came before her. There would be war if they stayed together, of that she was certain. Neither his people nor hers would accept them and war would erupt and she could not condone the taking of even one life let alone billions just so she could indulge in love. No, it had to be this way.

“Serenity.” Her name came out a husky purr that spread softly across her heated flesh. “I cannot, will not live without you. I love you. I need you.” His voice was pure seduction as he moved closer to her, hot velvet sliding across her skin even as his callused hand followed, pulling her back snugly against his hard body. “I will not give you up.” His words were soft, only amplifying the menace and deadly determination she read there. A frustrated sigh escaped her parted lips as her shoulders slumped forward as if the weight of the world rested on her petite shoulders, and in a way, it did, she thought bitterly.

“Endymion.” His name out a plea, her voice laced with tears and resolve. He had to let her go. SHE had to let HIM go. She kept repeating the litany over and over in her mind, hoping the words would ease the terrible ache that had penetrated her soul. But how was she ever going to be able to give him up when his arms felt so right around her, when the mere sound of his voice set her blood on fire, when her soul cried out to his? Gods this was torture!

Endymion’s gut clenched tightly at the agony in her voice and he bent his head to nuzzle her neck in reassurance. He knew that she thought they had to leave each other, for the sake of both their worlds, but what she didn’t understand was that he couldn’t leave her. She was his world. His breath. His life. And he would kill anyone who tried to take her from him. Yeah he could kill any person who tried to take her but how did one fight an idea? A noble determination that at its heart seemed so logically right? A growl of frustration rumbled deep in his throat as he thought through their situation once again and was once again stonewalled. He felt her sympathy for him surround him in a warm embrace as she lay her head delicately against his chest, her silken hair swarming around them like liquid silver, an erotic enticement against his sensitive skin.

Carefully, as if coaxing a frightened doe, Endymion lifted that veil of silver and placed a small, chaste kiss on the vulnerable nape of her neck that promised love and passion, devotion and satin nights. Serenity shuddered under his ministrations, under the feeling of his lips pressed to her skin, under the heat that flamed to life in her blood. And with that heat she felt her noble intentions and her granite resolve crumble away to useless ashes. How could this be wrong? How could this be so wrong when every instinct in her called out to hold this man close, to cling to him with every cell in her body and never let go?

Endymion felt her body weaken beneath his assault and continued on, his hands skimming down her body in a heated embrace, tracing every curve and hollow with a kind of reverence in her mere existence. How could she think this was wrong? How could anything make her deny this, THIS! Fury suddenly coursed through him, hot and black at the thought of her denial of them, at the thought of her leaving him and most especially the thought of her in another’s arms. Images assailed him of her waiting, arms outstretched, with love shining so clearly in her eyes, but that love was not for him, those arms not reaching for him. No, another slid forward from the shadows, grace and passion shouting from every hard edge of his body, from every lithe movement. He watched his Serenity utter anothers name, watched her close her arms around another’s neck and draw him to her bed. Sweat and satin, silk and night swirled together in a heated image that threw a red haze of jealousy in front his eyes. His arms were suddenly steel bands around her slender waist, tightening when she moved as if to step away.

“Endymion?” He heard the confusion in her voice, the worry and tension that suddenly thickened in the air. She lifted her eyes to look at him, exposing the vulnerable line of her neck. Unable to resist temptation Endymion ran skimming fingers down across her flesh, feeling small shudders follow in his wake. With a strangled growl he buried his face against her neck and breathed deeply, letting her light floral scent soothe his soul.

“I’m sorry angel it’s just...Gods the thought of you with anyone else makes me want to kill someone!” When she started to protest he quickly cut her off. “I know, I know we have no choice but damn it Serenity!” Swiftly he spun her around and held her face to face against the hard planes of his chest. “I don’t care!” His eyes smoldered with menace as his gaze raked her face. “I don’t care about your mother or mine! I don’t care about diplomacy or some outdated prejudices! But I do care about you and I’m not going to lose you to some faceless man all for politics.” His voice his taken on a hard edge, an ominous determination that left a strange foreboding spilling through her blood.

Slowly Serenity lifted one shaking hand and laid it gently against his cheek. His skin, rough with stubble, slid languidly past her fingers as he leaned into her touch, his eyes closed as if to savor the feel of her. Her eyes softened as she watched him and she felt a sad smile light her face. She knew he meant every word he spoke, she knew because she felt each word reverberate within her soul and an answering shout bellow back. What would it be like to do something for herself, to have someone for herself? To, for just once, do something selfish and with her entire heart and soul? For a few precious moments she allowed herself to fantasize about running off with Endymion, living freely, their passion never checked by court rules or a people who could never understand their relationship. It seemed a small piece of heaven forever hers but it was only for a few moments and then she let reality slowly crash in. The wars that would follow them, the deaths that would be her fault, the misery that would follow in her wake.

No, she might have wished for her life to be with Endymion more than anything but always some part of her would know what she had wrought with her self-indulgence and so she would do the only thing she could. She would sacrifice as all monarchs did, their happiness for their people’s. Drawing in a breath, steeling herself against the agony she knew she was bringing upon herself and the man she loved, Serenity let her gaze slowly caress his face. She took in the lines around his mouth and eyes that had not been there before, evidence of the strain they both felt. His face was haggard with a day’s growth of beard shadowing against his jaw. With infinite care and a tenderness that brought tears against his closed eyelids Serenity drew Endymion down, brought his lips against hers.

“It’s not politics,” she whispered against his lips, her sweet breath mingling with his ragged sob. “It’s life. Mine for theirs.” And then she stretched up and pressed her mouth to his in a searing kiss that spoke of passion and longing, of bitter regret and sorrow but it was the resignation that he felt that caused his heart to hammer against his chest. Serenity’s kiss was sweet and passionate, oh yes it was only too clearly a leave taking, a goodbye to her lover. Denial mixed with his anger and grief and then he was lifting her up. He never broke the kiss as he urged her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

Determinedly he waded through the heated water towards the mosaic wall on the far side of the pool. Mist swirled around the two lovers as they descended against the cool tile, providing an exquisite contrast to Endymion’s heated body. Serenity moaned softly when Endymion finally pulled away, his breath ragged and his face taut with control. Though Serenity’s eyes were dazed and cloudy with passion she knew his were not. They stared at her stark and clear, nearly black as they raked her face hungrily. Blindly she reached up to draw him back to her for another greedy kiss but his words stopped her.

“Meet me tomorrow night.” A swift denial sprung to her lips. It was the height of foolishness to meet him, the risk to great to both of them but she could barely think with his hand caressing her flesh. His callused palms molded her firm bottom possessively as he continued to stare down at her. “Serenity, meet me. Tomorrow night after the Winter Ball.” Refuse him, her mind screamed. It’s to dangerous. You have to end this Serenity, you have to!

“Endy-” But his sharp kiss cut her off, his mouth dominating her, taking all she had.

“You’ll meet me ,Serenity.” His voice was laced with a determination as he lifted her up and slowly impaled her. He’d wanted her since the first moment he’d seen her, his body awakening with savage urgency when he’d watched her slowly wade into the water and now the last vestiges of his control were gone. Her sharp moan only spurred him on as he stared down at her, his thrusts slow and possessive. She shivered slightly at the savage look on his face, one of ownership and fire that laced through her blood as her head fell back, her hair cascading around her.

That small action only added to a scene so unbearably erotic she thought she would die from the pleasure. Serenity pressed against the low wall of her bathing pool, her lover taking her ruthlessly as he watched the emotions flicker across her face, his hands lifting her, guiding her against him.

“You’ll come.” His voice was hoarse as he clenched his teeth against the feel of her squeezing him tight, of her breasts pressed so tantalizingly against his chest. Suddenly he stopped, Serenity’s moan of protest a sweet music to his ears as he lifted his hand to her chin, drawing her eyes to his. “You’re mine Serenity. Always. Mine.” And then he began again, his pace fast and relentless he pounded into her, his tongue plunging into her mouth in the same rhythm.

She couldn’t answer him, didn’t know what to say. His soul called to hers and she knew she would never love another as she loved him, that anything else would only be a pale shadow of what she had. The thought caused tears to burn her eyes and she found the words slipping out between her parted lips before she could stop them.

“Yes. I’ll come.” It was a promise she would never fulfill, one that fate would see voided even had the lovely princess been entirely sure she would keep it.

* * *

With a lurch Mamoru was suddenly back in Usagi’s plush room, the warmth of the fire caressing his back as the flames danced greedily along the wood. His eyes focused slowly to see Usagi staring at him, her eyes dazed and he knew she had been there with him.

“What the hell was that?” Her whispered voice floated across the room, hoarse and raw.

“Us.” He stated simply. He gaze smoldering now as he took in the creamy breasts revealed as Usagi had loosened her tenuous grip on the sheet that had covered her.

Flames seemed to burn across her skin wherever his eyes touched and she shivered but did not cover herself. She felt the passion simmering between them, banked coals bursting to life with the promise of a touch, a kiss. But through the haze of desire that was swarming her she felt doubt slither unrepentently into her thoughts. Did she want Mamoru because of the tragedies and passions of a thousand years ago? Did he want her because of them? She wasn’t Serenity anymore, she was Usagi. Usagi had never delved into sorrid affairs with her enemy or defied everything for love, Serenity had. She wondered if Mamoru realized that difference. Did it truly matter? Should she just give herself up to the sexual attraction that raged between them and ask questions later?

* * *

Jason Andrews stared with unseeing eyes at the lightning that flashed across the darkened sky. The glass of brandy was once again empty but he couldn’t find the energy to refill it from the glass decanter sitting nearly empty itself at his feet. The room was dark, the fire long since having sputtered out to softly burning coals, but Jason didn’t notice. His mind was on Usagi. Thoughts of her silky hair and impossibly blue eyes taunting him relentlessly, the liquor once again unsuccessful in blotting out the images.

She had left him. The truth was bitter and he felt pain slice through his chest again. With a surge of anger he hurled his glass against the opposing wall, would nothing numb he pain?! He’d been locked away in his study since she’d called, her sweet voice delivering that blow without remorse, without explanation. She wouldn’t even tell him why she would no longer see him, just announced it was over. Over.

Sinking wearily back into his leather chair Jason let the endless possibilities wind through his mind. The endless reasons why she might have left him, each more crushing than the last. Was he not good enough? Did she not love him? Had she found another man? The last possibility caused jealousy to boil through his blood, a reprieve from the endless melancholy and grief that had ruled him for so long. He latched onto the emotion and the anger that soon followed. Leave him, would she. Leave him for another man. Oh no. She would pay for this. Pay for the hope she had stolen. Pay for the heart she had broken.

Jumping out of the chair with renewed purpose Jason crossed to his massive mahogany desk to the phone that lay so inconspicuously next to the small Tiffany lamp. A cruel smile slid across his lips as he quickly dialed a number. Oh yes she would pay.